Rochester Community and Technical College is proud to announce that National Girls & Women in Sport – Minnesota is honoring 易胜博 Instructor, Mary Jane (MJ) Wagenson, with the Marie Berg Education Award as one of its twelve 2025 honorees.
MJ Wagenson is no stranger to breaking the glass ceiling for girls and women. After graduating from high school in 1979, Wagenson went on to become the first female to graduate from the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Repair program at Western Wisconsin Technical Institute in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1981 – and she did so with high honors.
After moving to Rochester in 1986, she started officiating with the Rochester Area Officials Association (RAOA) and hasn’t stopped since. She’s served as the organization’s president, past president, vice president, and charter clinician. She started out as a referee and umpire for basketball and softball, and for the past eight years she has also added volleyball and football to her officiating resume.
In her officiating career, Wagenson has continued to go where no female has gone before. She was part of the first all-female softball crew for the section tournament, and later the first all-female umpiring crew for the Minnesota State High School League Softball State Tournament.
In 2016, she was the first female to officiate a Minnesota State High School League Boys’ State Basketball Tournament, and in 2021 she became the first female to work first a quarterfinal game, then semifinal game, and finally a state championship game at the MSHSL State Football Tournament. Wagenson has also officiated collegiate basketball at the NCAA Division II and III levels for 34 years, and softball for 28 years.
Wagenson was nominated for the MSHSL Distinguished Service Award by her peers at the RAOA in 2014, and in 2019 she received the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Award for her service to the sport of basketball. NGWS-MN also honored MJ with its Breaking Barriers award in 2008.
Wagenson is an educator at Rochester Community and Technical College in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, a position she’s held for 26 years. She served as the department coordinator for 12 years, and, with her peers, redesigned the Sport Management, Coaching, Personal Training, and Group Fitness Instructor programs several times to adapt to trends in employment. She earned her B.S. in Physical Education/Health from Winona State University and M.S. in Sports Administration from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
Wagenson will be honored at the 2025 National Girls & Women in Sport Day – Minnesota on Wednesday, February 5, at the Minnesota History Center. For additional information about 易胜博 Instructor Mary Jane (MJ) Wagenson including her many accomplishments and the 2025 National Girls & Women in Sports Day – Minnesota Honorees visit http://www.ngwsd-mn.com.
Congratulations, MJ!